Object Details
Maker
El Anatsui, born 1944, Ghana (active in Nigeria)
Label Text
Shimmering dots, lines, and concentrated areas of color suggest the movement and phases of the moon over the landscape and its connection to the seasonal calendars that regulate agricultural labor and the timing of rituals and other activities. The work evokes astronomy’s grid-like plotting that fixes stars, moons, and planets within particular galaxies in deep space.
Description
Nine board sections. Surface covered with incised and blackened grid pattern. Two large blackened grid and slash areas. Incised slash lines and scattered squares painted red, white, blue, and green.
Exhibition History
El Anatsui: Triumphant Scale, Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany, March 8, 2019–August 28,2019; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar, October 1, 2019–February 2, 2020; Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland, March 13, 2020–June 21, 2020; Guggenheim Bilbao, Spain, July 10, 2020–November 1, 2020
Visionary: Viewpoints on Africa's Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 4, 2017-ongoing (deinstalled January 31, 2019)
African Cosmos: Stellar Arts, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., June 20-December 9, 2012; Newark Museum, February 26-August 11, 2013; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, August 23-November 30, 2014; Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Atlanta, January 31-June 21, 2015 (exhibited at NMAfA and Carlos Museum)
Poetics of Line: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., October 22, 1997-April 26, 1998
Published References
Kreamer, Christine Mullen. 2012. African Cosmos: Stellar Arts. Washington, D.C.: National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; New York: Monacelli Press, p. 314, no. 17.14.
Nicholls, Andrea. 1997. "The Poetics of the Line: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group." Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Press, p. 11.
Ottenberg, Simon. 1997. New Traditions from Nigeria: Seven Artists of the Nsukka Group. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Press, p. 102, 168-169.
Content Statement
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program
Date
1993
Object number
96-17-1
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© 1995 El Anatsui
Type
Sculpture
Medium
Wood, paint
Dimensions
H x W x D: 90 x 84.4 x 3 cm (35 7/16 x 33 1/4 x 1 3/16 in.)
Geography
Ghana
Nigeria
See more items in
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source
National Museum of African Art
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmafa_96-17-1